A coyote that’s believed to have attacked and bitten a 5-year-old girl in Dublin Hills Regional Park on Wednesday afternoon was located and fatally shot early Thursday morning, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
Capt. Patrick Foy of the Department of Fish and Wildlife said the coyote was located after a joint investigation involving his agency, the East Bay Regional Park District, Dublin police and the U.S. Department of
Agriculture’s Animal, Plant and Health Inspection Service.
The coyote was spotted in the vicinity of where a coyote attacked the girl at about 2:20 p.m. Wednesday at the 654-acre park, which is located north of Interstate Highway 580 and northeast of Schaefer Ranch, Foy said.
The injuries the girl suffered weren’t life-threatening, according to Foy.
East Bay Regional Park District police said on Wednesday that the girl was taken to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital after the attack and was in stable condition. Foy said he doesn’t know if the girl has been released yet.
Foy said the coyote that was killed early Thursday has been taken to a Fish and Wildlife lab in Sacramento to see if there’s DNA that can be linked to DNA that was taken from the girl’s clothing.
Foy said the tests also are aimed at finding out if the coyote had rabies or another disease that could have infected the girl.
33 comments
I hope that was the same coyote. Poor little girl.
Sad… without having confirmed this was even the right coyote, they took its life… sad for the girl as well, thankfully she’ll be okay, it does make me think, in the unfortunate case the girl was infected, killing the coyote would not have changed that. Once you’re in a state park, you’re in the animals back yard.
Ok PETA zealots, I want to hear the outrage
This family should not be in open space. They’re a danger to all.
How so? What did they do that was dangerous? Please elaborate.
Little girl was not supposed to be out in the park!
I notice animals are acting different during this pandemic. Ducks come right up to people, unafraid, looking for the food that was once left for them at outdoor dining.
This coyote was probably alarmed seeing people out and small children can act erratically.
It is really sad.
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Aunt Ester,
The girl was allowed to be in the park, as the trails are still open. Don’t try to blame her.
Believed ?
The coyote population needs to be culled. Regardless, based on the facts, there’s a high probability that the coyote was rabid. Hopefully not, for the child, but the behaviorial aspect of the animal points to that.
What facts? The fact that the coyote probably saw the 5 yr old as a large rabbit or small animal? Or the fact that the parents should show more responsibility when they have their child in the wilderness? Yes, lets cull the population of wild animals so that more rats, mice, etc. can survive.
I think your comment on the coyotes being culled is a bit much, but at least humanity is being culled by the wuhan virus that the chinese brought over to the rest of the world. You might want to stay in your place and shout #metoo because this virus is about to rape us all
That is nuts.
I agree with all of you poor coyote.
Hopefully DNA matches and no rabies so child will not have to undergo painful proactive rabies treatment.
It’s a coyote people, they are everywhere. It is amazing that some people think Bambi is real and all the world’s animals are just like people, they aren’t, they’re beasts.
🎯
A five year old child most likely wouldn’t know a coyote from a dog, and may have approached the critter to pet it. Whatever, aggressive behavior by a wild animal is not normal, and ended tragically.
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Nature always bats last. Probably not even the same animal.
If the agencies did not locate the correct coyote I hope they go back and find the animal that bit the child, and kill it. Coyotes that bite people are typically very old and can’t hunt for themselves, thus they go for the easiest of prey, like a defenseless child, or they are crazed by disease. It’s best for all the living beings that the desperate coyote or diseased coyote be taken out. The healthy coyotes will avoid humans whenever possible.
Wow, you must hold a degree in animal sciences. From DVC.
Almost went hiking there last Saturday. Lucky for the coyote pack that I wasn’t there, would have had to gun them all down.
108RS
Arguably you’re at their home
Janon,
I love coyotes, they are beautiful and important in the balance in nature. But, if surround by a pack, which is very unusual, I would have had to do away with them.
108RS
Wildlife should not be punished. It should have been tranquilized and relocated.
Why kill it????? Coyote is in her own environment, using her self defense maybe they were near the coyote babies. Capture it, treat it if it has rabies, and release it or place it in a wildlife sanctuary. Why don’t wild animals have the right to live? If caught in the act and to save the girl immediately sure possibly use force like that but don’t go hunt the thing to deliver some kind of karma. Animals aren’t wrong for living and using their defense instincts. They don’t need to be shot.
TREAT the coyote if if has rabies??? Please learn facts and don’t let your bleeding homeopathic heart overrun science and FACTS! Rabies is 100% FATAL once ANY (even mild early ones) symptoms appear!
Any wild animal that attacks a human must be put down. Especially coyotes, as they live among us or in close proximity. Aside from the rabies risk and the risk to pets, do we really want wild animals wandering around nearby that view our children as prey? I don’t think so. Killing that coyote was the right move and that’s why it was done. PETA hearts might bleed for it, but that’s a worthwhile trade to protect our children and pets.
Based on your thinking, we need MORE coyotes.
If her patents had been protecting her, she would not have been bitten. The animal had to be put down because of the parents negligence.
Neighbors were walking the trail off Limeridge open space yesterday trying to find the stacked rocks and saw a mountain lion. They very carefully and quietly backed away and walked back down the path.
Coyotes have been seen in SF too. They know masses of humans are “gone” and have come out to scavenge.
I read the pack had actually surrounded the parents and kid when the little girl was bit. I also never like to hear of an animal being killed however in this situation one if the animal attacked a person they are preventing that animal from starting a pattern and doing it again and two they need the animal to check it for rabies and other diseases. If a person is bit by an animal with rabies, it is some serious painful treatment to put a small child through. Sorry for the parents and little girl, sorry for the coyote, please be very careful when out hiking, if you see a “dog” or animal, try to stay away, if they are coming closer to you, make yourself as big as possible and make as much noise as possible, most wild animals don’t normally come around people and are skittish, if they see loud and big they will likely run away.
It’s better for coyotes overall if any that get too familiar or aggressive with humans are culled. It’s for the safety of the population of coyotes, too.
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